The Serpent and His Wolf
by TheMasterMind666
Summary: A new dawn is coming- a world of purity and beauty is on the horizon. The Golden Boy finds his love of the dark arts beside his master the Dark Lord. One day the tale of the Serpent and his White Wolf will no longer be legend but truth... ANIMAGUS HARRY! DARK HARRY! Takes part just after Order of Phoenix
1. A White Wolf in a Box

A new Harry Potter Fanfic yey. Loosely based off a previous fanfic of mine, but with the many changes and improvements.

I am glad to be getting back to writing but I don't know how long this will last. My final 13 GCSE exams are coming up after May holiday. But hopefully after that I will have more time.

Anyway I hope you enjoy-

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

 **A White Wolf in a Box**

* * *

Piercing crimson eyes stared down at the box Bellatrix had laid at his feet. There was nothing remarkable about this box in any way, but the Cheshire Cat grin upon Bella's face and the smug grin upon Lucius' told a completely different story. The Dark Lord was intrigued.

"What is this?" He inquired, his voice so silky that it seemed to flow like liquid from his lips.

Yes lips- it had took months of work on the behalf of Severus Snape but finally the correct potion had been brewed and Voldemort now looked more like the teenage Tom Riddle, but of course a little bit older, than a human-snake hybrid.-with curly black hair, and strong features, however his skin was still pale but not ghostly white as it had been.

Currently he was wearing a plain white long-sleeved shirt tucked into tight black pants. Upon his feet were polished black boots and around his neck was a dark emerald tie; a black silk robe hung over the back of the throne he was sat upon. He leaned forward awaiting their answer.

"Open it my Lord." Bella clapped. The Dark Lord sighed and mentally prayed that they hadn't brought him the head of the boy he had sent them to retrieve, he had been very specific that the child must be brought to him alive or not at all that night, his death would be a major flaw in his plan. Nevertheless he reached down taking hold of the lid of the box which was only half a metre cubed in volume. Slowly he lifted off the lid; what sat inside left him confused.

"Explain." He demanded tearing his eyes from the contents of the box to look at his two most loyal death eaters.

"My Lord," Lucius stepped up, "we found him when we entered the home. It appears that he was trying his animagus, only picked the wrong time to do so." Voldemort nodded his understanding and returned his attention to the box. Inside, huddled into one of the furtherest corners was a small, fragile white wolf pup. Bright emerald green eyes were wide and fearful, it whole body shaking from paws to ears.

A strange feeling overcame the Dark Lord and it pulled at his dust covered heartstrings. Before he knew it he was reaching down towards the pup, but it only shrunk back into itself even more. He hesitated for a second, usually he took what he wanted but the waves of fear rolling off the wolf had halted even him in his action.

"It's ok Harry, I won't hurt you." He reassured, the form didn't stop shaking but didn't retreat back as Voldemort gently scooped him up. The small wolf curled up in the hands of his enemy as he was gently laid onto his lap.

Smooth hands ran through the soft white fur, as comforting words were whispered. In a few minutes the shaking had stopped when it appeared that Harry realised that he wouldn't be hurt. Suddenly there was a yelp of pain startling the Dark Lord and his followers. He had removed his hand from where it had been stroking the fur above the white wolf's ribs and stared worriedly at the pup.

"What's the matter?" A quick non verbal spell had told him all he needed to know, it seemed Harry had broken two of his ribs and had failed to be repaired. "When did you get these?" He questioned, he didn't get a reply and cursing himself at not realising that the wolf wouldn't be able to talk he carefully entered Harry's mind…

* * *

 _A thick layer of pain and fear stood between him and a memory, yet soon it faded away and the image was clear. It was during their encounter at the Ministry of Magic, it appeared that it was then Harry had got injured._

 _Keenly he watched the scene unfold, noting how Harry had hissed in pain when his rib had cracked- he had not noticed it before neither had Dumbledore it would seem, but why hadn't the boy been healed?_

 _The memory faded away and was replaced by another, this one was after the duel. Harry was stood beside the Headmaster:_

" _Professor…"_

" _Yes my dear boy?" Albus turned to the child._

" _I think I may have broken my rib…" The professor thought for a moment before pulling out his wand and casting a diagnostic test._

" _No broken bones lad, maybe a bit of bruising, you will be fine."_

 _Harry had stared at him but had muttered a "Thanks" before they carried on their way._

* * *

Voldemort pulled out of the boy's mind. He was shocked at this revelation of how the Light side were treating their Golden boy, he had thought they had showered him with praise, attended to his every need and every wish- yet Dumbledore had ignore an injury which could of cost the boy his life if they had dueled again. Could Dumbledore be trying to get Harry killed? And if so, why?

Looking down at the white wolf he pulled out his wand. Almost immediately the wolf pup shrunk back, a whimper escaped and the shivering resumed- Voldemort quickly realised his mistake. "It's ok Harry, I won't hurt you I promise." He reassured knowing that the youth had no reason to trust him. With a wave of his wand a healing charm was cast and the bones were set back in pain. Harry stopped shaking.

"See?" Harry rose his head and placed his nose to his ribs as if to confirm that it had been healed- but what came next shocked the Dark Lord. It happened so quick, that if you were to have blinked am eye you would have missed it for the wolf pup had, be it hesitantly, licked the hand which ran through his fur before burying his head in his paws. The Dark Lord stared in bewilderment before a warm smile crossed his lips.

The meeting resumed as normal from then on- the only difference was the sleeping wolf laid in the Dark Wizard's lap as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

* * *

When the white wolf pup next awoke it was not to the cold darkness of the stone throne room, but rather the plush warmness of a cushioned bed. Gradually, emerald eyes began to peel open before blinking rapidly. What came next was unavoidable, a large yawn came over him his jaw stretching as far as it could as his limbs reached out in all directions in an effort to rid the tiredness from them.

Once that task was accomplished Harry then set about standing up. Ever so carefully he placed his paws under him and began to push on the surface beneath. Which was an unhelpful fluffy pillow which he couldn't seem to get his balance on. Suddenly was falling, tumbling down. He gave a yelp before strong hands caught him and returned him to the soft surface.

"Careful Harry." He looked up to find the smiling figure of Voldemort that laid beside him on the bed, a finger found it's way under his chin and began to soft stroke it. It was a blissful heaven to the pup who leaned into it moving so the finger was scratching behind his ears.

Voldemort chuckled, he looked down at the white pup who nuzzled into his hand as if it had been starved of attention his whole life. He took note of how small and skinny he was. Fluffy fur covered his entire body, a large bushy tail wagged furiously threatening to lift the wolf off the bed. Large ears, much too large for his body, stood upright on his head, glistening emerald eyes now closed, and on top of his muzzle a large wet black nose.

The Dark Lord felt his heart warm as such an innocent looking thing begged attention of him, it was even more surprising that this was his sworn enemy. He carried on stroking the ball of fluff for a while longer, the clock in the corner of the room struck the hour. Voldemort jerked up, he had been lost in thought and had not realised the hour, it was ten already and there was a meeting at half past. Quickly he dashed off the bed and into the bathroom to get ready. This left Harry alone to explore the vast room.

* * *

Harry stared up at the room around him. It was gigantic to put it bluntly. The whole room was much bigger than the whole of the Dursley's house together. The king-size bed was on a raised platform, the golden headboard pressed up against a wall. A large arched window, about 20 foot high and curving perfectly to the curve of the ceiling, was to the right of the bed ; a coffee table, an emerald leather sofa and two matching armchairs sat gathered in the light that poured in. To the left of the bed was a large sitting area with a cozy fire surrounded by soft green tartan fabric sofas and chairs, no doubt a place to spend cold wet wintery days with a good book.

Speaking of books, as he glanced around he noticed that the walls were lined with them. Ancient texts and scrolls filled with centuries of history, each page filled with knowledge and imagination. He noticed a large staircase wrapped around the room, it started on the wall which the bed was pushed up to, then carried on on the wall opposite to the large arched glass window above the wall the carried on above the ceiling above him. Curiosity gripped him, what could possible be up there?

Carefully, he edged his way over to the edge of the bed, the plush sheets feeling strange beneath his little paws. Once he came to the edge he peeped over the edge- it was so high! Well it really wasn't but relative to him it was a mountain of a drop. Gulping he took a step back, he looked over again but the height remained the same. How could he get down without injuring himself?

Then a light flickered off. Quite literally- he hadn't noticed the bedside lamp before and had only done so now it turned off. It must be set to do so at a certain time. He made his way over to it, thankfully the jump wasn't large and he could easily used the polished wood table as a step to get down onto the floor. Slightly hesitant, he made the jump.

Only when his paws were mere millimetres off the wooden surface did he realise his mistake. Polished wood wasn't the best surface for one who could barely walk to jump upon- nevertheless it was too late now. His paws touched down, before he went skidding over the surface colliding with the lamp as he passed. They both fell to the floor with a thud and a crash.

Harry worried that Voldemort may have heard, but the sound of a running shower from beyond the bathroom door, which stood opposite the bed, told him that his enemy was unaware of the knowledge that his bedside lamp had been destroyed.

Once on the floor, Harry found that the plush midnight-black carpet was much easier to walk on than the slytherin coloured silk bed sheets. Quickly now, he galloped to the living room, easily jumping down the several black marble stairs to the living room floor which was also black marble. Meandering molten silver rivers coursed through the darkness like dancing snakes, small crystals were interlocked into the stone and together with the silver river they made the floor shimmer in the light.

Now from where he stood Harry could see what was on the floor above: it was a library, with rows and rows of towering bookshelves carefully crammed with books. What looked like a desk was nestled in the nest of books. _This,_ Harry thought, _must be where voldemort retreats to after the long days with those idiots that work for him._

Just when he was about to adventure up the stairs did Voldemort return from his shower, a white towel wrapped around his hips as he used another to pat down his hair. It seemed he was a little startled when he found out that Harry was no longer on the bed. Harry turned and proceeded up the stairs as he was, curious to what could fill all those shelves.

* * *

The Dark Lord was shocked to say the least when he found that the white wolf was no longer on the bed where he had left him- seconds later he mentally cursed himself. Of course Harry wouldn't stay put. With a wave of his wand he was dry and clothed like he had been the day before, minus his coat which was currently hung beside the door.

He quickly scanned the room picking out the wolf, who's white fur stood out in stark contrast with the dark decor of the wall, climbing up the staircase to the library at an alarming rate. Voldemort made a dash for him and reached him before he could climb another step. He scooped him up in his arms before making his way over to one of the sofas ignoring the protests of the wolf. Sitting the wolf down on his knee he grabbed a silver goblet from the side table and transfigured it into a silver collar. The wolf looked at him with disbelief and attempted to escape the Dark Lord's clutches.

* * *

Unfortunately for Harry the strength of Voldemort's hand on his back was enough to keep his in place as the collar was slipped over his head, it settled on his neck and changed size to fit him just right, he heard Voldemort say. "It will have to do till I can get a better one made." Harry found himself once again on the floor, instantly he had a dash for the stairs again but was pulled back by some force around his neck. Turning he found that it was a leash! He glared at the Dark Lord- "Come now," Voldemort chuckled, "You didn't think I would let you roam freely throughout the manor? Besides not all my followers know of your presence and wouldn't hesitate to torture or maybe even kill a poor defenceless wolf pup."

No matter what, Harry couldn't disagree with the him this time- but just because he was content to stay on the lead didn't mean he was content to stay out of trouble...

* * *

HOPE YOU ENJOYED- IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO REVIEW PLEASE DO!

0.0


	2. TRUST

**Sorry it's been a while, but thankfully school has finished- No More GCSEs- so I will hopefully be able to write more and post more.**

 **Hope you enjoy-**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2**

 **TRUST**

* * *

Lord Voldemort sighed as he sat down in the large throne, feeling the soft silk cushions at his back he relaxed. The throne was made out of pure silver; intricate ruins and parselmouth adorned the sides, and the back was tall and similarly designed, the arms were constructed from silver snakes and currently the hand of the Dark Lord rested on the head of one silver serpent with ruby eyes.

His chin was rested on one hand as he glanced down to the floor to the right of him; there the little white wolf pup sat pawing the silver lead that was magically fastened to the throne, which was itself fused to the floor. The wolf pup looked remarkably like a cat toying with string. Suddenly, his hind was up and his front down whilst his bushy white tail wagged furiously; then he pounded catching the thin line in his razor sharp claws, he chewed and yapped at it happily. Quickly he became tangled in it as he rolled over and over again; then, seemingly noticing he was being watched, he froze. The Dark Wizard merely cocked an eyebrow at the pup who looked up at him with large puppy eyes and a floppy right ear.

Harry sat up, still tangled in silver, trying in vain to free himself; Voldemort chuckled but with a wave of his hand Harry was free- just in time as Death Eaters began to pour into the hall.

Once everyone was settled the Master addressed his followers: "This meeting was called unexpectedly, and I'm glad that all of you were able to attend tonight as I have some very important information to give you." He began. "Not all of you were able to attend the meeting yesterday, and you may not have been informed of a certain change in our plans. There is no longer any need to hunt Harry Potter." There were a few mumbles and whispered words in the huddle of Death Eaters, Voldemort hurried to continue as he sensed rising questions. "You see because Harry is no longer with the light but here with me at my side." He gestured to his side to the pup who had been getting questioning glances from masked men since the beginning of the meeting.

Harry shrunk back at the sudden attention, the Dark Lord continued: "Let it be known that from now on he is not to be harmed under any circumstances, if there is something that you think is wrong you will consult me before hand and will not directly confront him in anyway that could be a threat- he is no longer our enemy." With a wave of his hand tables appeared in the hall with him at the head of it, "That is all I have to inform you about, we may continue this meeting over dinner- you all know your ranks, be seated." An army of house elves appeared carrying an assortment of the finest cuisine; the plates were laid and the order was given for them to begin eating, which they all did after removing their masks.

* * *

The scent of hot freshly cut meats wafted down to where Harry was sat on the floor; he felt oddly left out as he watched Voldemort eat, he couldn't see the other dark wizards eating but he could see their polished black shoes under the emerald table cover. His stomach growled and he walked over to the throne.

* * *

All of a sudden the skin piercing sound of claws being brutally dragged across the poor surface of cold metal echoed through the hall, which had unsurprisingly fallen silent. Voldemort lent over his chair arm and saw Harry looking at him large eyes pleading silently, his front paws were up on the side of the chair so he was as close as possible- he saw the claws twitch in a silent threat.

Seeing no other possible course of action the Dark Lord tenderly picked up the pup, vanishing the lead he sat him down in his lap. Harry was immediately up and towards the steaming plates, a hand pushed him down. "Stay." Was the command, it was ignored; "Stay." The command was repeated, more force behind the words this time; yet Harry would not be beaten. He made to rise again, this time he wasn't stopped but blunt words reached his ears, "Do you wish to remain here, with the food; or do you wish to be replaced on the floor, without the food? Stay." The Lord won.

Throughout the meal Voldemort fed Harry succulent, tender pieces of meat; of chicken, beef, pork, goose, duck and whatever other meats were on offer. He had tried to feed him pieces of vegetable but to no avail; what more was he to expect from a wolf, and was rewarded with a piercing glare from brilliant emerald eyes- not another vegetable was offered.

Soon the main was finished and the house elves set about cleaning the table in preparation for the next course. Voldemort had been too focused in conversation with Severus Snape to notice the adventurous pup sneaking away till the weight on his lap had vanished, by then it was too late and the pup was already racing down the table.

Small paws struggled to find purchase on the soft silken table spread that trailed down the centre of the table and he found himself sliding uncontrollably instead of running, so instead he moved to where there was purchase to be had. The mahogany wood was much easier to run upon than silk, that much was clearly obvious as Harry made his way down the left side of the table knocking cutlery to the floor and vintage wine onto extravagant grand gowns sending ladies into a fit of hysterical wailing, and the elves into a frenzy.

Finally, he came to stop before a paled haired Death Eater :Draco Malfoy. Harry examined his school rival; his black clothing was neatly cut, trimmed and seamed; he wore a black silk shirt (all of the buttons done up so it was tight against his neck), over that he wore an equally midnight black blazer, that too had its silver buttons fastened; his platinum white hair was brushed neatly back and like always he wore the emotionless Malfoy mask. Harry could see straight through it and edge closer to his rival.

As Harry moved forward Draco moved slightly back into his chair till Harry came to sit at the edge of the table, emerald eyes looked straight through him. Draco quickly glanced to the Dark Lord seeking his input, but the Lord was silent whilst he watched them intently. A small wine drew him back to the wolf who was trying to get closer but then suddenly turned and went straight towards his hand. Before he had time to draw his hand back soft fur met his hand and it felt like heaven against his skin; soon he found himself petting the wolf, a small smile reached his lips.

There was a pop signalling the arrival of the next course: dessert! The sweet smell of chocolate, caramel, syrup and all those good sweet glorious things filled the room and the senses of the pup blew up. He turned to the nearest dish, it only happened to be Lucius'. At only an inch away he was stopped, "That's mine, Potter."

Harry looked up to the eldest Malfoy, puppy dog eyes were back out in a silent plea; the chocolate smelt so good! They engaged in a silent war of wills, Harry was determined to get just a spoonful of the cake. It continued on for long seconds, he would not give in.

"Here Harry." He turned and found Draco holding out a small piece of cake to him; he forgot all about Lucius and his cake. Gently, he took the cake from him and relished in its taste; as a human it had tasted good but never this good and he wanted more. Only when the fur surrounding his mouth was covered in icing and the plate clean was Harry slightly satisfied, Draco had allowed him to have the remainder of the cake which he couldn't stomach after a heavy main, Harry was starting to feel the same. The warm cake was beginning to feel sickly in his stomach.

He turned to the rest of the table, everyone had finished their servings; all except one, and so Harry went racing back down the table to the red eyes Lord.

"You are not having." Voldemort smirked as he took another bite of the vanilla ice-cream all the while looking into the wide green eyes of the white wolf, he was determined not to cave, not again.

Several minutes later Voldemort was engaged in conversation with Lucius over the proceeding in the Ministry as the pup lapped up the remains of vanilla ice-cream.

"Have you got the minister under your absolute control?"

"Yes, my Lord. He follows my advice without question."

"Good, very good. Everything is moving along nicely." He glanced to his white wolf.

* * *

 _6 months later_

* * *

To say the house elves were unhappy would be an utmost understatement of the situation; they were frantically dashing this way and that, running up and down narrow corridors and creaking stairs, then tripping people over as they popped out of small doors that had sprung suddenly into existence along the walls of Riddle Manor.

There was a reason to all this chaos, even the portraits knew this as they laughed at the Death Eaters that struggled by in torn robes. Harry was teething.

Mind you he had been teething for more or less two months; then Voldemort had been able to keep him contained, at his side and out of the feather stuffed mattresses and pillows. The problem was that Lord Voldemort was not here. He had been gone for little over two weeks on a business trip to South America; unfortunately no wolves were allowed on this trip and he had been left at the Manor, Lucius and Draco had been given the honours of looking after him.

Sharp claws screeched on wooden floorboards closely followed by the rapid footsteps of pair following closely behind. Draco led the way, skidding himself when the wolf made a sudden change of direction down separate path, both them and the wolf knew which corridors led to a dead end and he was extremely careful to avoid those passageways to doom.

"Harry!" Draco yelled trying to gain ground on the white wolf before him; the word 'bath' was not a word to be uttered around a young wolf, not even in passing or in whisper; Aunt Bella had only gone announced it to the who of Britain. If this had been a week ago, Draco would have given up the chase hours ago, but the Dark Lord was returning tomorrow and thanks to the usual British weather Harry had found a nice muddy puddle to paint himself with.

Of course they could use cleaning spells, and they had, but not even that would be enough to remove the muddy wet smell from where it hung to his silky white coat.

Panting heavily he began to slow and the distance between him and Harry grew and grew; then by a miracle a figure blocked the end of the corridor. He and his father came to a halt, so did Harry for what stood before them was Snape. Draco advanced on them, then just as Harry was about to dash for the hills the young Malfoy conjured a very strong leash and attached it t the collar. "Thank you, Sev." Gasped Lucius, who was still recovering.

"Where you intent on giving him a b-"

"Shhhh!" Draco silenced, Snape fell silent. "Come we better get started, the sooner that we are started the sooner we can finish and I can go to bed." They headed off in the direction of the bathroom.

* * *

Half-an-hour later they had all bathed, they had had no choice in the end, it was either be pulled in or get in. Bottles of shampoo had been poured and lathered into thick fur, they had begun working their way through the masses of it. It had been then that they had made a most remarkable discovery. The roots of the hairs were beginning to darken, most were just a thin layer of dark silver whilst others had small amounts of black, unable to come to a conclusion now they agreed to confront the Dark Lord on the matter when he returned.

Two hours later all of the bubbles had been rinsed from his fur, and all four of them were once again dry, and thanks to the fluffy towels and drying spells Harry was also fluffy. Something none of them thought he quite appreciated. Draco then returned Harry to Voldemort's room using a quick but strong locking spell to attempt to keep him there; he then returned to his room.

It was around midnight (two hours later) that the howling started, just like it did every night for the past two weeks. Each howl seemed to shake the very stone walls of the Manor and echoed through every corner of the building. Tonight it was the loudest it had ever been, a deep mournful howl which kept many awake that night; Draco couldn't sleep, the howls raking over every bone and nerve in his body.

With a heavy sigh he sat, removing the green bedspread from himself he placed his feet onto the chilling floor; clad only in black silken pyjamas he ignited a candle stick and made his way through the Manor to the opposite side. As he grew closer and closer the howls became even louder, each portrait help a sleep deprived person, the same as every night. "Thank god Draco, will you please settle him so I can sleep." Came the demand from a rich plump fellow in one painting.

Draco came to the door and with a flick of his wand the locking spell was undone, he creaked open the door. The candle light immediately illuminated the room and he could see, on the floor by the cold fireplace and empty armchairs, laid the white wolf.

"Come here Harry." He commanded softly, with a stretch Harry stood and made his way towards the young Malfoy. As soon as he was close enough Draco crouched down and intertwined his hand with Harry's fur, he gently ran his fingers through it. "It's okay, he returns tomorrow. You'll be alright." He stood to full height again he turned and whispered, "Come." He left and Harry followed.

Draco set the lantern down on his bedside table, he climbed under the silk bedding. He watched as the white wolf settled beside the small fireplace in the room, just the right spot to keep a watchful eye on both Draco and the door, but not because he didn't trust Draco, no it was quite the opposite really.

Morning sprung to life with the singing of wild birds and the stars slowly fading away under a blanket of dark blue and molten orange as the sun peeped over the horizon. Draco was up, it was only half-past four in the morning, but due to an old habit he had never got out of. Most of the Manor was already up, the smell of bacon was already wafting through the whole building. Harry was already up, instead of being by the door he was sat on the window shelf looking intently down at the gravel entrance below eagerly anticipating the Dark Lord's return.

He wasn't the only one; everyone in the house was strained after the past two weeks: they had been under strict orders not to allow Harry out Riddle mansion, everyone had agreed after what had happened last time they had attempted to walk him. So consequently Harry, being a cooped up wolf pup, had been rampaging through the Manor. Voldemort was the only one who could really contain him.

There was a knock at the door; quickly, he finished tying his tie before brushing the creases from his clothes and standing. Once at the door he opened it to find his Godfather; "Good Morning Sev."

"Good Morning Draco," Snape replied, "Harry isn't in his room. Would you happen to know where he is?"

"Ah, yes. I brought him-" Draco was cut of by a large bark and was almost run of his feet when the wolf raced past. "Looks like the Master is home"

Severus nodded, "It would seem that way." They made their way down towards the entrance, Harry was no longer visible down the long corridor.

* * *

Once through the door Voldemort had vanished his cloak and hat to the storage cupboard, he hadn't even turned when he was swallowed by a frosty white blur. He fell back on the door in an attempt to remove the wolf from him, he had grown since he had last seen him. "Alright pet that's enough." He smiled as the wolf got down from where he had been jumping up. He now stood at a height of just above Voldemort's knees. "That's a good boy." He praised running his hands through the soft fur; Harry leant into the hand.

"Bella?" He turned to the witch, "How has he been whilst I've been away."

"Very good, my Lord. Although I would not be the best to ask, Lucius, Draco and Severus have been looking after him mostly." She informed with a bow.

"Very well." Just then Severus and Draco reached the bottom step, "Severus, I hear you have been looking after him."

"Yes, my Lord." Snape bowed along with Draco, "He has been quite a handful at time, I'd put it down to his age, the confinement but also your absence. I have noticed, as well as the rest of the Manor, that he wails at night when you are not present. Draco has had to comfort him so that we can get some sleep, no silencing charms can help."

"Very interesting." Voldemort mused, "That is very helpful." He turned back to Harry, "I guess you would like to go out?" A happy yap confirmed an answer.

* * *

They walked for hours, till the sun was fully in the sky. Now at a fast walk they made it to the open wildflower meadows; the Dark wanted to test something. So with a flick of his hand the leash vanished, Harry looked to him confused, "Go on, run. After two weeks in that house I'm sure you have plenty of energy to burn off."

Suddenly there was a rustle in the long grass and it stole Harry's attention, but he didn't move; not until Voldemort whispered: "Go, run!" The white wolf took off like a bullet, chasing rabbits, birds, mice- whatever could be found, and when there was nothing the wind seemed the only match.

The Dark Lord conjured a bench and settled down; he wanted to see if Harry would return to him if he called; even after being given a taste of freedom. Harry could even get into the surrounding forest beyond the wards, he had no doubt that he would, but would he come back?

* * *

Harry felt the cool breeze running through his fur as he ran, he legs carried him as fast as they could and as far as he could. He halted at a faint tingle of magic, the wards to the Monor, Ever so slightly he could see the shimmer of magic before him; he knew he couldn't pass through them.

There was a sudden movement to beyond the barrier, a hare, all caution left him and he raced forward barely even noticing that nothing harmed him as he passed. He was free.

* * *

The sun was setting over the horizon, the Dark Lord flipped the final page and closed the book he had been reading. They had been out here all day; he hadn't moved merely conjuring foods and tea when he felt hungry. Now night was approaching and a meeting was needed to be held in little over an hour. Looking up at the wind-swept grass, he wasn't surprised to find it barren, he had been notified that Harry had left the wards hours ago. Yet, he wasn't worried, he would return or he would be found and brought back.

He stood brushing himself back, he let out a yawn and brushed his hair back, "Harry!" He called, his voice echoed through the woods. Now was the moment of truth.

Forty minutes later the Dark Lord decided that he had misjudged the signs; after pacing for ten minutes he had sat back down. He hadn't bothered to call him again, if he hadn't heard him the first time then he never would. Frustration swelled inside him; the meeting was in less than half an hour.

With a heavy sigh he turned to go back to the Manor; it was then he had then seen the white form bobbing up and down over the long grass. So he had returned. A few minutes later the wolf was by his side panting heavily, it seemed he had run flat out to get there from a considerable distance. The scowl was replaced with a smile as he crouched down to stroke his soft fur, "You took your time, but at least you came back. Good boy." Red eyes locked with emerald who wore a happy wolf face.

Then all of a sudden the face was gone, and before he could blink there was a scream from behind him, then followed by a large crash and wails of pain. He spun and found a man screaming in agony under the cruciatus curse, a spell that hadn't come from his wand.

* * *

The black fur grew longer, pushing away the pure white.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter- PLEASE REVIEW! (it's nice to hear what you think)**


	3. The Sacrifice

**CHAPTER 3**

✵ **The** **Sacrifice** ✵

The air seemed to constrict around them all, suffocating and thick. Magic raged like an invisible fire all around them; tonight they all had their hoods drawn and masks removed by the orders of their Lord and Master.

Voldemort was still, his eyes unblinking as he scrutinised every living being in the room, every human and every rodent and insect that lurked in cracked walls could not evade his inspection. He had been betrayed. A new Death Eater, Davidson, had been foolish to believe that _he_ could bring down the Dark Lord; of course he had paid the price but he wished that his wolf had not cut him down right there and then as he would have deeply enjoyed killing him bit by bit, very slowly.

Putting those ideas aside Voldemort was deep down frustrated by himself, he had allowed someone to ambush him without him realising that they had even approached in the first place. There must have been some spell to cloak him, he would find out later now he had even more pressing matters.

From where he was reclined in the throne he could see the path Harry was marking out through the crowd of gathered Death Eaters from where they had side stepped to avoid him; some startling at the sudden touch of his nose on their legs and jumping out of the way only refraining themselves from bolting out of the door, other trembled under the emerald gaze. The inner circle remained still as low growls echoed through the hall of Riddle Manor, they were used to it, many didn't even flinch at sudden howls at the dead of night too tired from previous restless nights.

After Harry had examined every one of the robed men he returned to the throne. Several minutes later half a dozen of their number were dragged down to the dungeons as the scent of betrayal around them had given away their precious secrets. They would be executed after all the useful information was extracted from them.

Voldemort stroked the soft fur on Harry's head, heavy silence hung around them, no one moved, no one spoke and some were hesitant to even breath under the gaze of the two most powerful men (well one wolf) in existence. With a heavy sigh they were dismissed with a simple wave of the hand. The two remained like that for a while, alone and staring, unblinkingly, into the empty shadows of the halls.

Suddenly, the Dark Lord stood, Harry immediately following as well. The Manor was silent as the moon reached its peak, side by side they scaled the large staircases up to the very top of the manor to where their chambers were. Once inside Voldemort ignited the fire and settled in one of the chairs around it; a house-elf instantly appeared asking 'Would Master be requiring some tea?' to this Voldemort merely shook his head dismissing the baffled creature as it was custom that the Dark Lord would have at least a teapot full of tea before he retired to bed. Aware of this Harry kept an eye on Voldemort from where he was laid upon the soft rug before the fire; it was clear that the dark wizard was consumed in thought.

Voldemort watched the flames deadly dance in the fireplace; his eyes watched every flicker every twitch and every spark, but yet at the same time they did not. The mind did not recognise the beauty of the dance for it was too submerged in the waters of thought. Many questions had arisen that day: how had that Death Eater managed to approach him; how had Harry been able to perform magic, but then also about his changing coat colour that he had noticed.

The wolf in question was now slumbering in front of the fire, tiredness had finally overcome him as he watched Voldemort. Sighing he pushed himself up and made his way up to his personal library, there he settled down in his large mahogany desk. He cursed at the growing pile of paperwork which had been building up over the last few months; summoning a bottle of whiskey and a glass he poured a small amount into the bottom before slowly sipping it whole.

Pushing away the paperwork to one side he made his way down the rows of bookshelves pulling out books here and there which he thought could be of use; he had of course read them all at one time or another and knew vaguely what each one held. In the end he came up with very few books which would explain how an animagus could perform a spell to kill a wizard. Nor did he believe that any of them could offer an explanation concerning the changing fur colour- all in all there was literally nothing that could help him understand why these things happened or how; he put it down to the fact that nothing of this kind had been recorded in History- which didn't come as much of a surprise as there had not been another human being that was anything parallel to Harry Potter.

* * *

It was dawn when Harry awoke the next day; he found himself laid beside a roaring fire. He remembered watching Voldemort brooding in his chair before sleep had overtook him- it seemed that performing magic in his animagus form took considerable amounts of energy compared to his human form. Stretching, his claws snagging on the soft fabric below him, he stood up.

Looking around he noticed that he was alone; there was no Dark Lord in sight, the bed was still made (he hadn't gone to bed then). Perhaps he had gone out; somewhere deep within him his wolf stirred in annoyance but also sadness at the prospect that he had been left alone, Harry pushed it aside instantly.

Just as he was about to lay back down for a long wait, the smell of whiskey hit him like a ton of bricks; how he had failed to notice it before, he did not know. Nevertheless, he followed the smell back to its origins where he found Voldemort with his head in his arms on the desk, surrounding by books on animagus' and concealing charms, a city of towering parchments and also an empty bottle and glass.

Heaving a wolfish sigh he approached the desk; the smell got stronger assaulting his sensitive nose. He could hear the faint snores of slumber, it seemed that the Dark Lord had fallen asleep at his desk. Harry nudges Voldemort in the knee with his nose, he stirred slightly but did not wake. It appeared that he had been up late in the night- he would allow his some rest.

There was a large pile of parchments on the floor beside the chair; using his paw, Harry examined them. Each one bore the Dark Mark in the top right hand corner. Many were letters, many had come from over sea. Then there was a list, it was handwritten by the Dark Lord himself- it appeared to be a list of possible recruitments.

The list was long, containing many family names, names of packs of werewolves, groups of other magical creatures. Each one had the location written beside it, or at least a rough idea of where they were.

Picking up the piece of parchment Harry silently left the Dark Lord. But before he did he attempted one thing, using his magic (and a lot of concentration) he levitated a piece of parchment, a quill and some ink down onto the floor. Encouraged he continued; using the quill he wrote a short note in scruffy writing:

 _ **Master,**_

 _ **I do not know when I will return, but be assured that I will.. I will bring you back a gift, that I promise.**_

 _ **Harry**_

 _ **P.S. I will be taking Draco, Lucius and Severus with me as I believe they will be invaluable to this mission.**_

He levitated the parchment onto the desk, he then trotter down the stairs, a simple thought opened and shut the door as he left.

It wasn't long till he came to where the three were; they were all slouched around the table in dining room; all three of them were sipping large mugs of coffee. It appeared that they had also been up till late. He trotted past before jumping onto a chair beside them; a bowl of coffee appeared before him. Slowly, he began to drink it.

"How are youu so awake?" Draco asked sleepily. "The Dark Lord obviously got no sleep last night or else he would be here as well."

After he had finished, he sat up and watched them; this seemed to unnerve them. Suddenly he felt stupid: _how was he meant to ask them from their help?_ Last time he checked none of them could speak wolf. Then a thought popped into his mind.

"Is there something that you would like to ask of us?" Severus drawled in his usual tone.

They all seemed surprised when fiery letters appeared in the air before them.

I NEED YOUR HELP

Slightly stunned, no one spoke.

THE DARK LORD HAS SEEMINGLY BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL IN RECRUITING THE NECESSARY FORCES FOR THIS UPCOMING WAR.

HOWEVER, NOW HE DOES NOT HAVE THE TIME TO GATHER THESE FORCES AS IT APPEARS HE HAS BEEN NEGLECTING A LOT OF HIS PLANNING RECENTLY.

THEREFORE I BELIEVE IT WILL BE BENEFICIAL THAT WE GO AND RECRUIT THEM AND ALSO RE-VISIT THOSE WHO HAVE DECLINED. MAYBE THEY WILL HAVE A CHANGE OF HEART WHEN THEY SEE THAT THE CHOSEN ONE HAS SIDED WITH THE DARK.

After a while the lettering faded, Lucius spoke then: "Where do you propose we go first?"

THE GIANTS. THEY HAVE BEEN SUNNED BY THE CURRENT MINISTRY. THEY SHOULD BE THE EASIEST TO CONVINCE. THEN I BELIEVE WE SHOULD…

He continued to tell them his plan of which groups would be easiest to convince and then set work on the harder ones after those. Finally, his last stop would be the Burrow; he instructed them that he would be journeying there himself.

It was over four months later when their mission was complete; over eighty percent of all those who they asked agreed to support the Dark Lord; even some of those who had previously declined agreed that they would back him now. Most of those who had declined were wizards who had been too afraid to side with him; Harry had not pushed them any further.

* * *

Harry had ordered Lucius, Draco and Severus to return to the Manor and inform Voldemort of their success whilst he apperated to the Burrow (something they had taught him during their journey on his orders). It was night when the candle lit house stood before him; there were wards surround it like a thick mist, he was allowed entry but he knew his time here was short.

As he approached the house he could hear them chatting chatting- it appeared the summer holidays had just begun. Every voice was recognisable: Mrs Weasley, Mr Weasley, Charlie, Bill, Percy, Fred, George, Ginny… Ron- he could even hear Hermione's voice amongst them all. The door was locked; he could open it but he did not want to frighten them, as he was sure that was what a large white wolf would do. So instead he howled; it was so loud that the sound echoed far into the distance. The chatter stopped instantly.

"What was that?" He could hear Ginny whisper frightened.

"It sounded as if was coming from somewhere close." Muttered Bill.

"The door." Fred and George supplied in unison.

"I'll go see what it is." It was Hermione who had plucked up the courage. Ron offered to go with here.

It was only a few seconds, but it felt like eternity to Harry, until the door swung open they were revealed to him. He had to strongly refrain from jumping into their arms; they were already startled at his existence. Hermione looked at him with a puzzled expression, whilst Ron had his wand pointed at him. There was silence as nobody made a move.

"Harry?"

"Hermione, you've gotta be kidding', this isn't Harry- it may be dangerous." He made to push her behind him but she stopped.

"Ron, you idiot, look at his eyes!" Hermione snapped.

"What about them?"

"Their green!"

"And how does that make that Harry… I'm sure there are plenty of wolves out there with green eyes." Ron suggested, it became clear that they had thought him most likely dead, Ron didn't want Hermione to get her hopes up.

"Do you not remember what we overheard, Ronald? That there was a wolf with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? That's what Snape told the Order!"

"There's one way we can sort this out, if this is Harry then he should reply-" He turned to Harry, "Are you Harry Potter?"

YES RON, I AM HARRY POTTER.

Stunned Ron stuttered; "H-h Harry? No, it can't be." It looked as if he was fighting tears. "Who's Harry's Godfather?"

SIRIUS BLACK IS MY GODFATHER.

"How-"

WE SAVED SIRIUS IN OUR THIRD YEAR, WE RESCUED HIM ON BUCKBEAK WHO WAS DUE TO BE EXECUTED. ME AND HERMIONE USED A TIME TURNER TO GO BACK IN TIME TO SAVE THEM BOTH.

He was suddenly wrapped in arms, Hermione's arms, his fur was dampened by her hot tears. "Oh, Harry…" Eventually she stood and ushered him inside. The Burrow was exactly like he remembered; it was warm and cosy, each shelf was filled to the brim with nick-nacks and what not, Harry could even swear that he spotted a few stray plugs dotted about, he remembered Arthur had a certain fascination with Muggle objects, especially rubber ducks which he never understood the function of.

Molly screeched when she caught sight of the overly large white wolf in her living room and moved to push Ginny behind her much like what Ron had done with Hermione. "Ronald Weasley! Why have you brought a- a wolf into our home?"

"Mom, calm down."

"How am I meant to? Arthur do some-"

"Mom it's Harry!" That comment stopped Mrs Weasley who stared even wider eyed at Harry, Ginny managed to slip out from behind her in her basement.

"How can you be sure?"

THEY ARE SURE MRS. WEASLEY.

I KNOW YOU MUST OF ALL THOUGHT ME DEAD, BUT I AM NOT AND I AM NOW HERE TO ASK A VERY LARGE FAVOR OF YOU.

"What would this favor be Harry." Mr Weasley inquired.

I NEED YOU TO JOIN ME.

"Join you?" Percy spat, "It's not just you which you want us to join." Harry shook his head. "Then who else would we be joining?" Rather reluctantly Harry revealed that it would be Voldemort that they would also be joining, he was met with outraged cries.'So it's true?' 'You've turned Dark!' 'You were the chosen one!'

His anger rose, even tho he knew that something like this would happen, he hadn't actually believed that it actually would. He had been foolish to think that they would welcome him back and join him when they found out who he worked with. A growl escaped his throat, they fell silent.

I FULLY UNDERSTAND IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO JOIN ME, BUT I PROMISE YOU THAT I HAVE NOT ABANDONED YOU. I CAN NOT TRUTHFULLY SAY THAT I HAVEN'T TURNED DARK. I CAN HOWEVER ASSURE YOU THAT VOLDEMORT IS NOT THE EVIL MONSTER THAT YOU ALL THOUGHT HE WAS, NOR WHAT I THOUGHT HE WAS. HE'S CHANGED. HE DOES NOT WANT TO KILL ALL MUGGLES AND MUGGLE-BORNS. HE JUST WANTS TO ENSURE THAT THE WIZARDING RACE CARRIES ON STRONGLY FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. HE DOES NOT WANT TO RULE OVER A WORLD THAT HAS BEEN DESTROYED TO ASHES. IT'S NOT HE WHOM YOU SHOULD BE WORRIED ABOUT-

He never got to finish when there was a loud bang, the Aurors were here. They had arrived much quicker than he could have foreseen. Turning back to the Weasleys he saw that Ron and Hermione were worried, they knew what was coming.

Dashing outside he saw that a dozen Aurors were already there, clouds of white smoke told him that many more were to come. Now completely surrounded he had no choice but to fight if he wanted to get out of there and back to Riddle Manor, they had already put up anti-apparition wards _._ He saw Shacklebolt staring at him from where they were putting up the wards, he sharply turned to Mad-Eye. "Is that?"

"It appears to be." Moody replied seeming unfazed.

"He's the wolf Severus was talking about."

"The very one that works for the Dark Lord, yes." They began to stalk towards him, on instinct his hackles rose and he bared his teeth.

"What is he doing here?" Kingsley asked.

"Quit asking me questions I don't know the answer to!" Moody snapped. "We need to contain it, shouldn't be too hard, I've never know a wolf to be able to cast spells. I don't suppose he can even hold a wand." Moody and Shacklebolt had their wands out instantly, as did the rest of the order members as they fell in rank and advanced.

Harry ran, running flat out, he had to get past them, beyond the wards; only then would he be able to apparate out of there back home. They shot stunners at him, countless curses came flying his way- none of them lethal, they wanted him alive. He formed a shield around himself to deflect any curse which he was unable to dodge in time; Moody gritted his teeth in frustration.

They increased their attack ten fold till the spells were so concentrated that they were impossible to dodge; his shield was weakening, finally he had to begin returning spells their way. Many had not expected this and fell under the curses, some were sporting large wounds from cutting spells or broken bones.

He was almost there, his shield was flickering, it was so close.

"HARRY!" Hermione's call caused him to hesitate and lose focus, but that was all that was needed. A strong stunning spell hit him in the side, he fell to the ground unconscious.

* * *

Muttering, from not that far away, woke him up. Wherever he was it was cold, so could that his fur coat struggled to trap it out. From what he could tell he was laid on his side, the ground beneath him was hard and rough, probably stone. There was no other sound other than the chattering between two males.

He blinked open his eyes, everything ached, everything felt heavy. Painfully he pushed himself up, seeing clearly now he noticed that he was in a cell. It was circular with no windows, each wall was smooth with no cracks. A curve of bars was visible, flames from a torch flickered causing the shadows to dance. His legs felt unsteady beneath him.

As he stood there was a rattle of heavy chains, he only then became aware of the weight around his neck. Glancing back he noticed a large chain and it was connected to something around his neck- they had placed a collar on him.

Sighing internally he made his way over to the bars, a loud sound echoed around the chamber as the chain was pulled tight just before he reached the bars. The sound seemed to startled the two figures as they had stopped talking, they were still out of sight.

"You can't stay long, I'm not even meant to allow visitors. Don't get too close; he may be Harry but he isn't the Harry we remember." There was footsteps as one of them moved away, then more as the other moved closer and then into sight. It was Remus.

"Hello Harry." He greeted.

REMUS?

"Yeah, it's me. So that's how you communicate, the Weasley's said you had talked to them, I was wondering how you did it, you know with being a wolf. I must say that I'm impressed, I've never heard of anyone being able to perform magic in their animagus form."

DID- DID ANYONE DIE?

Harry was nervous asking as he knew that he had hit several people with curses, some of them had been lethal as every spell had come to mind to protect him.

"No, no one died. There are a few in hospital but they should live." He smiled.

WHY ARE YOU HERE?

"I wanted to see you before your trial." Harry was surprised, he was certain that he would be placed in Azkaban without trial, he thought he would be lucky if they didn't give him the kiss within two hours of entering the prison. However, there were no Dementors on the island as they had all joined Voldemort already. Seeing his surprise Lupin continued: "They are of course holding a trial, but not to test your innocence. Because there are no more dementors here it would be difficult to contain such a high risk prisoner such as yourself. They need to see how dangerous you truly are. I do believe that Dumbledore has offered to boost the security on this cell if it is needed in person and proposed that he should have a guard shift."

I DON'T WANT HIM ANYWHERE NEAR ME.

"Harry, why not?"

OF COURSE YOU DON'T KNOW, HE HAD TO MAINTAIN THE PERFECT COVER, HE HAD TO APPEAR LIGHT AND ALL THINGS GOOD. HE'S THE COMPLETE OPPOSITE. HE ALLOWED ME TO BE LOCKED IN A CUPBOARD UNDER THE STAIRS AT THE DURSLEYS FOR ELEVEN YEARS. THEY TREATED ME NO BETTER THAN AN HOUSE ELF, I WAS DUDLEY'S FIRST PUNCHING BAG. HE NEVER CARED, HE NEVER EVEN CHECKED UP ON ME. I SPENT COUNTLESS NIGHTS WITH BROKEN BONES BY THE HANDS OF THE DURSLEYS AND HE NEVER EVEN CARED. HE SENT ME BACK THERE EVERY YEAR.

IT WAS NO BETTER WHEN I GOT TO SCHOOL, I SUFFERED INJURY AFTER INJURY. OFTEN DUMBLEDORE WOULD BE THERE, HE WOULD ALWAYS TELL ME THAT I WAS FINE THAT 'NOTHING IS BROKEN'. HE WANTED ME WEAK AND EASY TO KILL, I ALMOST HAPPENED EVERY YEAR. HE NEVER HELPED OR TRIED TO SAVE ME, AND HE KNEW IT WAS HAPPENING. HE LET AN ELEVEN YEAR OLD FIGHT THE DARK LORD THEN A YEAR LATER ALLOWED HIM TO FIGHT A BASILISK. THEN AT THE END OF THE YEAR I WOULD BE SENT BACK TO THE MUGGLES WHERE I WAS TREATED WORSE THAN DIRT.

"Harry. I-I- I never knew, if I had I would have come, I would have brought you back to the wizarding world. It may have been dangerous, but I would have looked after you. If I had known."

IT WASN'T YOUR FAULT, HE WANTED ME WEAK AND SMALL SO THAT I WOULD LATCH ONTO HIM AND SEEK HIS GUIDANCE. I WAS A FOOL.

"I heard that you joined Voldemort, is that true?" Harry nodded his head. "You asked the Weasleys to join you?"

I DID. WE NEEDED MORE FOLLOWERS WITHIN THE WIZARDING WORLD. NOT JUST CREATURES BUT ACTUAL WIZARDS WHICH WE CAN GET INSIDE THE MINISTRY, MANY OF WHO WE HAVE NOW ARE SUSPECTED AND ARE NOT LET IN ON THE TOP SECRETS. THE WEASLEYS WOULD HELP MASSIVELY IN OUR WAR AGAINST DUMBLEDORE. BUT I FEAR THAT THEY WILL NOT JOIN BECAUSE OF VOLDEMORT AND BECAUSE OF THE THINGS HE AND HIS DEATH EATERS HAVE DONE. HE'S NOT AS EVIL AS THEY SAY. HE DOESN'T WANT TO KILL ALL MUGGLES OR MUGGLE-BORNS. HE JUST WANTS TO ENSURE WIZARDING KINDS SURVIVAL IN THE FUTURE. HE'S NOT INSANE AS HE WAS AT THE END OF THE TOURNAMENT. LAST TIME I SAW HIM HE HAD WORKED HIS WAY INTO EXHAUSTION, I NEED TO HELP HIM. HE'S NOT THE THREAT, DUMBLEDORE IS.

"I will help you, I will join you. You'll get out of here. I must go now, I'll speak to the Weasleys." Harry nodded as he left. He laid down on the cold hard stone wishing for the comfort of his fire.

* * *

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE WAS CAPTURED?!" Voldemort roared like thunder to the lightning and rain that waged war outside. Lucius, Draco and Severus were stood before Voldemort, Severus had just got news from the Order of Harry's imprisonment.

"You managed to gather me more allies, congratulations, but you have lost me my most valuable one."

"My Lord, he ordered us to leave." Lucius insisted, cautious of Voldemort's rage.

"When's his trial?"

"Two weeks today."

"Very well. You will go home, pretend you know nothing of the matter if anyone is to ask, only what has been revealed in the paper. I will organise a rescue mission for that date." They nodded their understanding, but when they did not move he hissed, "Leave! Before I submit to the temptation of the Cruciatus curse." They all but fled the scene.

The Dark Lord rose himself off the throne and made his way up to his personal chambers. They seemed large and empty without Harry beside him, they had done from the moment he had left. He hadn't been able to get into contact with them, no owl could find them. He slumped down in one of the chairs beside the fire.

There was a box on table next to him, he pulled it onto his lap. He opened the lid to reveal a beautifully crafted collar, it was made from only the finest material. The leather was strong, its colour bordering that of black and green, it shimmered in the light. Its stitching was done only in silver unicorn hair, patterns ran up the side of snakes and wolves, they shifted and danced around each other. There was a silver D-ring, a round silver tag hung on it, it read; ' _HARRY'_ in a slight cursive font, a lightning bolt, the exact shape of Harry's was engraved behind it.

It had not been cheap, and he had hoped to give it to Harry upon his birthday when he would have been one in wolf years. Now, as he held it tightly in his hands tracing the patterns with a finger, he feared that he may never be able to give it to him.

* * *

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	4. Harry's Trial

_Chapter Four_

✵ _Harry's Trial✵_

It was in the courtroom of the tenth floor of the Ministry of Magic that the trial was held. Like all rooms situated in dungeons there were no windows to speak of; only a sense of confinement resulting in the captives feeling increasingly trapped and helpless.

In spite of this, today's prisoner felt nothing close to the suffocating sensation of confinement, for what reason did Harry Potter have to be afraid of a mere windowless room; even when he was decked in chains. Four Aurors, dressed in long dark cloaks, stood around him- each of them were clutching a length of heavy steel chain in their white-knuckled hands. Each length of chain was welded onto the sturdy steel collar that hung around his neck; they rattled slightly, both by his small movements and their unsteady hands.

He was stood in the centre of the room on a raised octagonal wooden podium; before him rose the high desk at which the judge would perch upon, ten feet of darkened wood stood vertically, the Wizengamot emblem engraved upon its surface, it shimmer gold before the darkness.

The jury was located to his right, each one watching him with looks of vengeance, and betrayal. Sitting elsewhere were the fifty members of Wizengamot; they observed him with icy cold calculating glares. From behind he could hear the faint sound of quills scratching on parchment; it was a tell tale sign that this trial was to be made public.

It had been twenty minutes since the Aurors had brought him into the room, and they were still awaiting the Judge. He and the Aurors had been allowed first access to the room as they had needed to put up numerous complicated wards around him, he could also feel them like a thick blanket around him. It was the first time that they had done this as Dementors had always been there to keep the prisoners in check.

After the return of Voldemort Fudge had resigned and Rufus Scrimgeour to take on the role of Minister of Magic, so therefore it was his duty to hold the trial and pass the sentence.

Eventually, the hall fell silent, all topics of chatter had been forgotten. Scrimgeour stood up to his desk and call the beginning of the trial. From Harry's position he could see the man in quite good detail: he was of average build neither tall nor short, neither fat nor skinny, but the fact that he was a wealthy man screamed out in boldness. He wore a grey suit with a black and silver tie; his tawny hair was wavy and long although a few strands of grey had managed to creep in over the mounting years. Yellowish piercing eyes observed him keenly.

"Harry Potter," He began, his voice deep, instantly demanding authority, "You stand here today accused of murder, but above all, forming allegiances with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." There were a few hushed whispers. "Do you deny any of these claims?" There was very little pause before Harry shook his head. Again chatter arose as quills scratched furiously at parchment. "I see." He tone was deflated, a hint of disappointment could be detected, Harry supposed he had been silently hoping (much like many in the room) that it hadn't been the truth.

"Your Honour." It was a high pitched voice, Harry recognised it immediately as Dolores Umbridge- the pink furred toad that had made his last year at Hogwarts torturous for him and many other students; she wasn't liked, not even Voldemort found her presence plesent and would often curse her out the door. Nevertheless, to Harry, there was very little surprise to find that she had managed to keep her seat here.

"Yes Umbridge?" Scrimgeour asked.

"How do we know what he is saying is the truth?" Harry knew instantly where this was leading, it was no secret what her favourite potion was, "I suggest the usage of Veritaserum."

The courtroom seemed to fall into deeper silence at the suggestion; nevertheless there were mutters that she was correct and they seemed to remind themselves that he was no longer who he had used to be.

Scrimgeour seem hesitant at first but reluctantly agreed in the end, it wasn't long before he was forced to drink the horrid liquid, though the guards seemed extremely cautious with the prospect of trying to make a grown wolf animagus drink such a potion. It tingled as it made his way down his throat and settled strangely in his stomach, he could feel its effects weaving their way through his body and up to his mind.

"Now we can begin the trial." Harry nodded his understanding, Rufus paused for a moment in thought. "It is correct in my assumption that this is your animagus form, is it not?" Again he received a nod in answer; "Well, for this to be a successful trial it would be beneficial for you to be able to answer the question in human form, for we can't get very far based on yes or no questions. So I ask you to please turn back, or we will be forced to make you do so." The Minister seemed somewhat wary of him returning to human form, they both knew his potential power in wolf form but then again that potential could be blown straight out of the water when he was in human form; and so Harry began to shift back

It was as painful this time as it had been the first, and that had been a year ago, and so his bones moved slowly. After a couple of minutes he was now stood shakily on two feet- a now foreign sensation to him. Over the past year he had grown considerably, so much so that some that some parts of his clothing ( which had previously been drapping from his bones) was now torn. His vision was blurry, that was until he removed his glasses, room came back into focus.

It appears that all the muscle and strength he built up were still there; his hair was not long on matted like Sirius' had been when he had escaped from prison. It was as long as it has been when he had been his animagus form. He raked his hand through it brushing it back from his face unaware how are some strands of hair flickered white and silver before returning back to raven black.

Deciding that his clothing was inadequate, he transfigured them into a more suitable garments, using wordless and wordless magic. Now he stood dressed all in black, tight black pants with high black dragonhide boots hugged his legs. He wore black silk shirt with silver snake like cufflinks; on top of this he wore a black leather trench coat which fell to just below the knees; upon his left breast the Dark Mark was embroidered in silver on both the clock and the shirt. found his neck with a band of metal, the Dark Mark hung off it like a pendant.

Harry was unaware of the stare he was getting: "Y- you can perform magic?" Scrimgeour stuttered.

"I'm a wizard your honour- it is commonly known for wizards to perform magic." he smirked. Scrimgeour sat frozen to the spot and speechless for a moment before seemingly returning to himself- "I ment you can do wandless magic and wordless magic. Never mind, of course you can. someone search him for weapons."

" I assure you Mister; your wards were quite successful at preventing me from transfiguring any weapons." Harry reassured, but nevertheless didn't protest as he was thoroughly searched.

"Yes, but they were unable to prevent you from performing magic in the first place." he seemed annoyed.

"It's perfectly understandable. they were the strongest wards you had, I even detect some of Dumbledore's magic woven within them. Was he too afraid to come see what his Golden Boy has become? No I guess he's probably busy planning trying to find a way to win a war without a little boy by his side. I guess that is why I'm here: you've had no idea what to do with me. whether to lock me up give me over to the dementors, it is your choice Minister. But I must applaud you, you see you are wise enough to ask for Dumbledore's help thought maybe it could increase your chances, well it has increase them, but not enough."

"What are you saying? Can Albus Dumbledore defeat you?"

" Great Merlin's beard, no. I said you may have had a chance, I managed to break through Albus' walls a long time ago." He offered an innocent smile. The minister, along with the rest of the room seem confused by his final statement; the questions continued.

"It is to my understanding that you work for the Dark Lord. Is this true?"

"Yes."

"What rank are you?"

"I answer only to Voldemort himself; I am his second." Harry answered.

"So you're, for lack of a better word, his pet?" It was on Umbridge this time; Harry gritted his teeth, he hated being referred to as such.

"You could put it that way." In reality the answer wasn't obvious, but upon further thought, it was correct, and he was in a way.

"You have pleaded guilty to murder, who did you kill under He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named orders?" Scrimgeour took up the bat.

"No one."

"But you just said-"

"I did not kill under his orders!" Harry interrupted. Silence once again fell and seeing the silent request he offered an explanation, "Your agent was sent in to assassinate Voldemort, and it is my duty as he closest follower to protect him from such threats. He did not order me to kill the man, but I did it to protect my master." Quills scribbled frantically on parchment.

"You were willingly-" The Minister was interrupted by the sudden bursting open of the large doors behind Harry. In walked an old wizard, with long white hair and beard, with half moon spectacles perched on the edge of his nose; Dumbledore had entered the hearing.

He made his way forward, stopping beside Harry.

"Albus." Rufus greeted, to which Albus replied a mere 'Rufus': there was another pause; it became quite clear that Dumbledore was not intending to sit and wait; "Is there something that you wish to say?"

"I would like to make a request."

"A request?" repeated Umbridge.

"Yes, it is clear that Harry is not… in the right mind; I think that it would be unwise to keep him in Azkaban for his sentence."

"He hasn't even been sentenced yet, Albus." Scrimgeour informed.

"I can see that Minister; but upon the facts I fail to see how he would be let free, free of charge." Albus said with an innocent smile upon his face.

"And if, to say, he wasn't placed in Azkaban then where would he be held?"

"With me," there was a sudden uproar of noise and protest, Dumbledore kept on talking regardless, "I demand that he should be placed in my custody, it is quite clear Voldemort has manipulated his mind-"

There was a crackle of magic in the air as Harry shouted, "You liar!" The whole hall then turned to him still and quiet, "I will not be placed in your manipulative clutches again."

"My dear boy-"

"Don't you even think about calling me that, I am no dear boy and I am most certainly not your dear boy."

"Harry."

"Stop," the command was growled, "all these years, from when I was merely one year of age, you have been manipulating me. Placing me with those horrid abusive muggles who locked me under the stairs in a cupboard till the age I was eleven, at that age I fought Lord Voldemort for the first time by myself and have done so every year since. You hoped I would die,"His gaze was cold and calculating as he studied the Hogwarts Headmaster," fulfill the prophecy, then maybe you could finally defeat Voldemort. I will not be returned to you, I would much rather spend the rest of my days surrounded by a hundred dementors, tormented by my mother's screams for eternity."

"I am sure that it won't come to that Harry." Too perplexed by the silent battle between the two wizards before them no one had noticed that another had entered. Harry turned to the man, dressed in a black suit and polished shoes, with his black hair brushed neatly back.

"Master." Harry greated.

Voldemort smiled, making his way towards them, "It wasn't quite nice Harry running of like that with two of my most trusted and only leaving a note."

"There was no time for goodbyes and we didn't have the time."

"I understand, they have explained what happened on your travels."

They were seemingly unaware of the people who were also in on their conversation, although nothing much could be determined by what they said any way,

"Tom." Said Dumbledore, "How did you manage to get into the Ministry?"

"Albus," He turned to the grey wizard, "You know I have my many way, after all this is a trial for my most trusted follower, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"You made a mistake in coming today."

"And so did you, old man." The Dark Lord smirked, he enjoyed the games.

"It is not I who has the number one spot on the most wanted list across the globe."

"No, that is true. You never did get the honour of being top did you." He turned away towards the Minister, "No matter, I request that Harry James Potter be released and all charges dropped."

"You're insane Voldemort," Rufus declared, "Harry Potter has committed severe crimes against the Wizarding Community and will be punished, I will not release him to either of you two."

"Pity, I guess I will just have to take him myself." With a wave of his hand the wards around Harry began to fall, alone with it a rain of spell from the Ministry members, both he and Harry had to pull up shields to defend themselves.

Dumbledore was directing a particularly powerful spell towards Harry, he would have successfully broken through the shield if given a second longer. However, Voldemort had stepped in firing curses at the Headmaster to allow Harry to bring up his defences.

Albus relented for a moment, his bombardment of spell dying to a halt till all that remained were those from Ministry members and guards. Harry took this time to lower his shield and to bring up a new stronger one in its place.

"Do you have an exit plan?" He shouted.

"Of course, Harry, who do you think I am. I just need to get close enough and I'll apparate us to the Manor." Slowly they began to inch together, when he was close enough he reached out only to catch a glimpse of a deadly green light hurdling towards him. Instinctively he held out he hand to it as Voldemort gripped his upper arm.

A familiar pull told him that it had worked, and in the last second he saw the light strike his palm before deflecting elsewhere.


	5. Quod Ultimum Vale

_Chapter Five_

 _Quod Ultimum Vale_

A storm was brewing on the horizon as thunder blasted and rolled its way across the vast woodland surrounding Riddle Manor. It was just beginning to rain when Harry step out onto the balcony, an icy wind bit at his check but he did not move to pull his cloak tighter around him. Instead he focused on the man who was leaning on the railings and looking out into the night.

"You called for me, Master." He made his presence aware, his voice quiet due to his tiredness, although he was sure that the man already knew that he was there, he had called him immediately after he had arrived back from some personal matters that needed to be taken care of.

"I did. I wanted to talk to you before tomorrow." The Dark Lord explained, still not turning to face Harry. Then he beckoned Harry forward with his hand, the young wizard came up beside him.

"What is it you wish to talk to me about?"

"Your Animagus form." There was a pause of silence before Voldemort continued. "For the past year you have been in your wolf form till I was convinced that you could not turn back, so I did not push you to do so. Yet when I found you yesterday at the Ministry you had changed back to your human form. So it wasn't a matter if you could, but it was a matter if you wanted to. Tell me, why did you not want to change back?"

Harry took a moment to think, he glanced at Voldemort, he did not seem angry or annoyed, if anything he appeared hurt. He let out a sigh, "I was afraid to turn back into my human form because I was afraid that you would turn me away, that I would no longer be your second but just the boy-who-lived locked in the Riddle dungeon. I didn't want to lose this life, you saved me from Dumbledore and the Dursleys and showed me who I really was, so I was content to stay in my wolf form if it meant that I could keep this life."

"Harry," Voldemort turned to him, "you are my second and most trusted, I would not turn you away, I am wise enough to overlook the past and see that you are no longer the Golden Boy but rather my best warrior. You are no longer a puppet for Dumbledore, those strings were cut long ago." Harry smiled at him, "Come, we have a meeting to attend to with the inner circle discussing tomorrow's events."

* * *

The Death Eaters were already gathered and seated when they arrived in the grand hall, they all stood as Harry and Voldemort made their way to the head of the table. Harry exchanged a smile with Draco as he passed. When the two sat the rest followed.

"The Ministry is in collapse after Dumbledore's killing curse rebounded off Harry and hit the Minister." The Dark Lord began, "It is known that Dumbledore is planning to attack the Ministry tomorrow at nightfall, he will attempt to take control. We will not let him take the building, if we can stop him it may win us some favours in this battle and show the people of the wizarding community that we mean no harm to them." There was a nod of approval, "Severus. Has Dumbledore mentioned anything in his order meetings."

Snape cleared his throat; "There was a meeting held last night at the Order's headquarters. I was expecting Albus to be annoyed and frustrated that he had been unable to kill Harry at his trial. Yet, he seemed Happy and confident, like that was how he had intended it to go."

"Did he mention why?" Harry questioned.

"Yes, it seems, Harry, that you are a horcrux."

The Dark Lord immediately stiffened as Harry inquired what exactly a horcrux was; to which Severus explained: "A Horcrux is a vessel that holds a part of a person's soul, and it seems that you are Voldemort's horcrux, one of seven in fact. Dumbledore has hunted down and destroyed all but two of them, you and Nagini-"

"That's incorrect, there seems to be only one left." Voldemort interrupted.

"You mean to say that the horcrux inside Harry has been destroyed?" Snape asked.

"No the one inside Nagini; I sent on a mission to receive some information and she had a run in with Dumbledore; he attempted to kill her but only managed to kill the horcrux inside her. I had thought she was my last, it appears that I was wrong." He rested his elbow on the table laying his chin on his hand. "Your magic must have stopped the killing curse, I can not fandom how but it did and protected my soul shard."

"So I hold a piece of you inside me?" Harry stated quietly as if he was talking only to himself, "What does that imply?"

"That as long as you live the soul piece will allow me to be immortal, and with it inside you you shall never die. If the piece is destroyed we will become mortal." Harry made a small sound as if that revelation was the simplest thing on planet Earth to wrap his head around.

"My Lord? What about the battle tomorrow?" Bellatrix requested.

Voldemort smiled before conjuring a mass of scrolls and parchments onto the table.

* * *

It had taken them most of the night, almost till daybreak, to formulate an airtight plan to get into the Ministry. Going in before hand would risk spooking anyone who was working inside for the Order, if the arrived too late then it would be almost certain that Dumbledore will have sealed all the fireplace in and out.

However there were other ways of getting in; the most obvious was the fireplace which was almost always open even in emergencies in the Minister's office, but that would not suffice to transport a whole army of Death Eaters, Severus and Draco had been given the task of finding a way to hack into the very private network that went into that fireplace, it was decided that Harry and Voldemort would enter first and find a way to unlock the fireplaces as the rest entered through secret wall which Lucius had used on numerous occasions to sneak into the Ministry undetected, they had gotten into contact with Lupin to try and provide a distraction when they entered, he had said he would do what he could but made no promises.

Harry and Voldemort waited in the office upon their arrival, they could here the crashes as screams of battle just beyond the door. They had found the way to open the grates, a muggle switch which had been modified so that it could not be activated or shut off by an magic but had to be done manually. They just had to wait; if they flicked it too soon then Dumbledore would catch wind of their plan and the game would be lost.

"You know that Ron and Hermione will be just beyond that door, right?" Voldemort broke the silence.

Harry somberly nodded, he was not looking forward to the prospect and could only hope that Lupin had managed to convince them. They it was time, their watches began to 'beep' and flash, they quickly flicked the switch before heading out into the corridors.

It was chaos, to put it mildly, the floors were littered with the wounded or unconscious, some in much worse irreparable states. They pushed on in search of Dumbledore and they found him in the atrium beside the once glistening fountain now reduced to a rubble and a river of gushing water.

The emerald eyed wizard was glad to see a family of redheads fighting men who were not dressed in black, although Percy could not be seen amongst them. He found Hermione and Ron fighting back to back against two old grey wizards Harry had never before seen in his life, in fact Harry wonder where Dumbledore had found all these old wizards that he himself had never seen before.

There was very little time however to ponder such questions; soon spells, both the deadly and the unforgivables, were racing through the air to them. Instantly they brought up their shields and ducked out of the way of the spells that would severely damaged their defences. Together Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort pushed their way through the masses towards where Dumbledore dueled.

* * *

Most of the inner circle were gathered together, dueling together as a team, to increase their odds, whilst meandering their way through the crowds towards their Lord. The rat, Pettigrew, had fallen just seconds after he had entered; Bellatrix had be stunned by the flash of light directly before her and her husband had stepped in between her and a potentially lethal curse. He now laid openly bleeding on the way they had came.

Draco, Lucius and Severus were ducking and diving whilst flinging spells to anyone who got too close. Then suddenly a ball of light made its way through their shields striking Lucius in the chest, this caused him to freeze before falling back with a sickening thud, his eyes wide and glassy.

"Sectumsempra!" Severus bellowed, striking the attacker down as Draco stood with wet eyes and the word 'Father' echoing on his lips.

* * *

Hermione winced as a cutting hex grazed her shoulder, again, leaving a deep well crossing over the one which was already there. So far she had taken down twenty of Dumbledore's followers, Ron was just behind at 18. Nevertheless they had been backed down one of the many corridors leaving away from the main structure with a group of ten.

The wall was lined with weapons, old and new, a seeming mixture of muggle and wizard technologies. It was when the young witch had brought down another that Ron was hit, a large pulsating gash ran diagonally across his front; he collapsed onto her.

Panicking she look around for an escape only to find a dead end, but to her left there was a small alcove. Hurriedly, she dragged her boyfriend into it, before aiming her wand at the wall: "Confringo!" She breathed breathlessly.

Like predicted the wall began to shake as a large hole was blasted through it causing the weapons that had been previously hung safely to the wall to jump from their resting place dooming those below in their path.

* * *

It had taken the best part of an hour for the Dark Lord and Harry to make their way to the ring of people surrounding Dumbledore. Voldemort wondered if the Headmaster had yet realised that his forces were losing quickly, the rate of his men falling far exceeding the rate of his own Death Eaters.

Upon realising their arrival the Death Eaters backed away, allowing for a small path that he and Harry used to reach the old wizard. Instantly, the remainder of Albus' forces rushed to try and protect him but were met by a wall of people, fierce duels once again broke out around them as lifelong enemies confronted each other.

"It was foolish to organise an attack this soon after the hearing, Albus." Voldemort stated, he and Harry split ways as they began to circle Dumbledore in opposite directions; like a pride of lions would do with their prey.

"Do not presume that you know the best course of action, Tom." Albus commented calmly. "You of course knew that I was going to attack today, because you knew that after that trial you were weaker; you lost more than you gained that day and I am just making the best out of that loss."

"You are wrong," Harry almost hissed, his green eyes narrowed, "he did not lose anything that day, but you could say that you lost something. The only chance you had of beating us."

"Harry, my boy. You were never the smartest; you were easy to manipulate, your lack of confidence to stand up to certain people made you weak and vulnerable."

"You confidence in this situation is your downfall."

"No, Harry. I am the one with the upper hand here," he raised his fist, "you are both mortal, I have destroyed you last Horcrux, the one in your precious Nagini, and now the one in the boy."

"That is where you are wrong," Voldemort corrected, "Yes, my soul shard inside Nagini is destroyed but not the one in Harry, we checked, it's still there."

"Impossible, I hit you with a killing curse, it should have destroyed the Horcrux and perhaps killed you."

"I was never one to follow the norm when it came down to the unforgivables if I remember correctly." Harry smirked, an all knowing glisten in his eye.

Dumbledore seem taken aback by the fact, he opened his mouth to speak but no words came forth, on the second attempt they did, "Very well, I will just have to kill you here." In the space of a nano second two lethal curses were casted, both hit their mark.

* * *

Voldemort rushed towards Harry bloodied form, large gashes littered his body, all too quickly a pool of blood swirled around him. He ignored the old wizard's corpse as he knelt beside the messy raven haired child. Gently he ran a hand through the tangled crimson stained locks, not caring about the liquid covering his hand at his attempt to stop the blood flow.

Very slowly his eyes opened revealing stunning emerald eyes, they were tired however, and visible pained. A weak cough racked his fragile frame, causing tremors like earthquakes across his limbs, and a river of red to run from his pale lips.

"We'll get you out of this, you'll be fine in a week or so." He promised, trying to comfort the youth but knowing he was doing it also for himself.

"I don't think so, not this time. It's about time that death caught up to me." he voice was small and shaky, each breath raspy, taking more effort each and every time to fill his burning lungs. Harry's trembling hands reached inside the pocket of his robe and pulled out a small silver band of metal. Voldemort recognised it instantly as what had been the collar Harry had worn in animagus form. Although now it was smaller, more like a bracelet than anything else.

Harry brought it up to his outstretched hand and slipped it on. It changed size to fit his shape and it hummed with an old familiarity.

"Only you can remove it," they locked eyes, the green stare seemed to gaze right into his mind, "You have to promise me that you will never take it off, not even for a second." Harry demanded.

"I swear upon my magic, Harry, that I will never remove it- but what is so important about it." He inquired.

"I'm sure you will figure it out in time, Master." He offered a feeble smile.

There was a silence between them, Voldemort cradled Harry close to him, it seemed like someone had just let the bottom out of his heart.

"You'll be alright, you have to be. After all this time… after all those attempts. You can not go like this, I will not let you." He rambled; unaware of his inner circle and Harry's closest friends come rushing up behind them, Hermione held out a hand to stop them all in their tracks.

There was a flurry of motion as medi-wizards poured in through the fireplaces, a group immediately surrounded Harry and the Dark Lord, administering potions and performing spells. They decided he needed to be taken immediately St Mungo's and they all but pulled the teen from his grasp before placing him onto a stretcher.

Voldemort felt a hand grab his wrist and his locked his gaze with harry who had momently gone out of sight.

"Thankyou." Was the faint whisper.

"For what?" He swallowed.

"Seeing me…" The hand around his wrist went limp and fell away as green eyes fluttered closed, then in a whirl he was gone.

Voldemort felt sick, his head spinning at a hundred miles per hour, unable to focus on the world due to the ringing wall around his ears. He found a pile of rubble and perched on it, afraid that his legs would not support him.

"Voldemort, are you alright." Came a seemingly concerned female voice, he had barely recognised it as Hermione Granger, but the name the one he had gone by for years seemed so foreign to him at that moment. It did not seem like him, he was not the Dark Lord he had been before Harry had arrived at his home a mere small white wolf pup. When had he changed completely? Looking up to her he saw the she too had checks littered with tears.

"I am fine Miss. Granger." He lied. "Just merely exhausted, " another lie, " I think I ought to go the hospital, or go rest. And please, call me Tom." He a polite smile as his apperated away from the Ministry back to an empty Riddle Manor, not even caring that she had been all his lives or the tears that flowed freely and unbidden.

* * *

Hermione sat next to Ron's hospital bed, the day's event racing through her mind. The prophecy made all those years ago came forward, it was now complete. _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives …_

"It's complete…" she sighed.

* * *

 _ **2 Months Later**_

Tom Riddle sat at his desk; a large stack of paperwork was at the centre, but his eyes remained glued upon a box next to a moving picture. Subconsciously, he twisted the metal band around his left wrist as he mentally dared himself to open the box. Draco had brought it to him the day after Harry's death, St Mungo's staff had handed her the box, but she had felt that he should be the one to open it. So unwilling to leave Ron's side Draco had been given the task of delivering the mahogany box to him.

In two months he hadn't peeked inside knowing the pain it was bound to hold; but each day the temptation grew larger to see what he had left behind. Quickly, as if afraid a seconds hesitation would change the outcome he reached for the box. Letting out a deep breath he unlocked the lid and slowly opened it; Hedwig hooted from her perch on the other side of the office.

It was surprisingly empty. There were no clothing, everything else was in separate wallets. One lively one held a group of chocolate frogs which had all escaped their boxes; the face of Dumbledore could be seen on a crumpled and ripped card. There were a few coins inside, and bird treats which he pulled out and gave to the snowy owl. The most interesting thing was a key, specifically a gringotts vault key.

It was later that afternoon, as he found himself unable to concentrate, that Tom found himself stood outside Harry's vault, a goblin stood beside him and opened the safe door. Inside he found mounds of gold and silver coins, but what caught his eye were a stack of three letters and books, including a map.

The first letter was addressed to him, he picked it up and broke the seal, it read:

 _Master,_

 _I am sorry that it had to end like this, yet this was the only way. Dumbledore would have taken control, but now he should be dead, it is your chance now to make the world how you wanted it..what you told me it would be like. A paradise for wizards so that none have to grow up the way that we did._

 _By now I hope you have realized that that bracelet isn't just a fashion accessory but a Horcrux, or most of the one you managed to put into me. Use it wisely, live for a change don't just survive._

 _Your's Faithful Harry._

The next was a letter outlining what had been passed down to him by Dumbledore, _A Golden Snitch and Dumbledore's own wand._ The last letter outlined the content of the vault, and a Will which stated what happened to Harry's belongings. Tom took his time examining what there was said to be on the list and what was actually in the vault. In the end five things were missing, a trunk full of clothes, a large sum of money, the Snitch, an invisibility cloak, and Dumbledore's wand.

Also inside were four books which quickly stole his attention; they were titled, "Death- Arts of the Unliving; The Veil- Book 1; The Veil- Book 2, and finally a world map. Gently he picked up the map and flicked through the pages. On each page Countries were circled in red and crossed out or in green, on other pages similar things were done but with towns and cities.

There were five main towns of interest, each circled multiple times in green: New York, Chicago, Paris, Hong-Kong and Tokyo. Tom smiled for the first time in what felt like forever when he noticed that Tokyo was highlighted more than one and more deeply than the others. A small ruin site in the centre of Tokyo was highlighted located deep underground, a picture was clipped to the page. There was a small archway leading to a seemingly solid wall, above it in the stone, 死の主人(Shi no shujin) was engraved, a translation written underneath, _The Master of Death._


End file.
